What’s Normal Got to Do with Additive Manufacturing?

Normal is an innovative company using 3D printing to mass-produce a personalized product and it’s a revolutionary way of listening to music.

Normal is an innovative company using 3D printing to mass-produce a personalized product and it’s a revolutionary way of listening to music.

IMTSTV bumped into Normal CEO and Founder Nikki Kaufman at the Additive Manufacturing Conference in Knoxville. She took a break from presenting to the 500+ manufacturers, academics and researchers at the conference to tell us her story.

Nikki was tired of poor-quality earphones that didn’t fit. After going through dozens, she looked into having a custom pair made. What she found was an exhaustive process that involved a visit to the doctor’s office, uncomfortable silicon molds, a three-week wait, and a $2,000 price tag.

A graduate of Princeton University and a founding member of Quirky, a consumer products company whose mission is to “Make Invention Accessible,” Nikki was exposed to leading advances in 3D printing, production and manufacturing. She knew there had to be a way to create high-quality, better-fitting earphones, with a more accessible price and process.

Her solution is Normal: an innovative brand selling tailor-made, premium earphones. Customized by the user and ordered via a free mobile app or at Normal’s factory, shop and headquarters in Chelsea, New York.

Normals are fully personalized for each user’s ear, engineered and 3D printed in New York City, and delivered in as little as 48 hours with its personalized carrying case. The company is a leader in using 3D printing technology to mass-produce a consumer product, changing the rules (and future) of American manufacturing.

Find out more or order your own personalized pair of Normals at nrml.com.